Chapter 27: Wang Yan, who shielded her from the sword, arrived with a large quantity of precious medicinal herbs...

Wang Yan nodded silently to the side. Another burst of shrill laughter followed, then stopped abruptly. Immediately afterward, a knock sounded, and Meng Shu knelt on the ground, tears streaming down her face.

Wang Yan sighed softly, "Do you know that Madam He originally intended to redeem you from your servitude?"

Meng Shu asked incredulously, "Redeem...myself?"

Shen Minghuai also watched her speak eloquently.

“You should know that Madam He has a longevity lock. Since she was imprisoned in the mansion, she knew that there would be no future for her and you. She gave this golden lock to her closest maid, Zhihe, and then delivered it to you, thus severing all ties.”

Meng Shu gripped her clothes tightly, "Do you think this will settle things even..."

Shen Minghuai whispered a few words to the jailer, after which two jailers came in and captured Meng Shu, while another jailer found a woman's undergarment on him.

"Give it back! What right do you have to take my things?!" Meng Shu shouted hoarsely.

Wang Yan glanced away, avoiding the awkward scene. Shen Minghuai, however, remained motionless, staring at Meng Shu and asking, "Where did you get this?"

"I told you this is mine! Mine!"

Just then, a constable came to take someone away from He Fan, saying that Zhihe had turned herself in. When they and Meng Shu arrived at the courtroom, a line of people was already standing in front of the table. Yang Jiezhou also rushed over from the Criminal Investigation Department. Before the interrogation even began, Qi Chu and Chen Banmu started arguing. Qingfang looked around anxiously, while the other two remained silent.

Li Changling squeezed next to Wang Yan, "This is going to be good."

The gavel struck like thunder, and Yang Jiezhou asked, "Where is Zhihe? You have come to confess, what crime have you committed?"

Zhihe knelt on the ground without hesitation, “I listened to Xu’s instigation and tricked my wife into drinking an abortion pill, which caused her to bleed to death. I have failed my wife’s trust over the years…”

The silent Meng Shu lunged at her in an instant, only to be pulled away by the constables. "You ungrateful wretch!"

"I had no idea that Madam Xu's medicine was enough to kill my wife... I have no face to defend myself—"

Before Zhihe could finish speaking, Mengshu jumped up again, "You're shameless! You're shameless!"

Yang Jiezhou angrily rebuked, "Who dares to be so insolent in the courtroom! If you say He Li has treated you well, why are you helping Xu to harm her?"

With tears in her eyes and clenched teeth, Zhihe looked at Chen Banmu and said, "For my father."

"Little Grass, don't talk nonsense. What does this have to do with me?" Chen Banmu then turned to Yang Jiezhou, "Sir—"

Yang Jiezhou interrupted him ruthlessly, "Continue."

“That day, Madam Xu found me and said that as long as I drink this abortion medicine, she will pay off my father’s debts and let me get rid of my slave status and leave the He family.”

Yang Jiezhou then asked, "Pay back the debt?"

Zhihe slowly stood up. "My father is a compulsive gambler. He gambles every day, and some of the stakes are incredibly high. He simply can't afford to lose, so he comes to me for money every few days—"

“I just won, and I’ve used this money to buy you things before,” Chen Banmu defended himself.

"All I got was a set of clothes for my birthday! The size is completely wrong, either too wide or too long. Have you ever truly cared about your daughter?" Zhihe continued, "After my wife died, Madam Xu told me to leave Yangzhou, so I hid in a house my wife had bought before her death. But my father still found me here—"

Yang Jiezhou asked in confusion, "He Li's residence?"

Zhihe neither nodded nor shook her head. She turned to look at Mengshu and said coldly, "It's his."

Meng Shu took two steps back in disbelief, then stepped forward and grabbed Zhi He's wrist. "It's your letter! You were the one who sent me back to Xiang Gu's residence that night!"

Wang Yan glanced at Shen Minghuai furtively, clearly expecting this. Shangguan Yu had arrived sometime earlier.

Yang Jiezhou then said, "Where is the letter? Let me see it."

"It was burned... but it was her who made me go back to Xianggu Mansion that night to retrieve something... so Lao Shi saw me coming out of the room... You're trying to frame me!"

Qi Chu was startled by Chen Banmu's glance and broke out in a cold sweat.

Shangguan Yu snorted coldly, "The golden lock and the house key were originally meant for Meng Shu, weren't they?"

Zhihe smiled and said, "That's right. But he's not worthy."

Qi Chu rolled up his sleeves. "You old hag, you tricked me into thinking this house was yours. The land deed isn't even in your possession!"

Zhihe did not refute his accusation, but only said to Yang Jiezhou, "Sir, he is the murderer who killed Xu Shi."

She pointed to Qi Chu beside her. Chen Banmu also stood next to his daughter and echoed, "It was him! I saw him come out of the Elephant Maiden's Pavilion with my own eyes that night!"

Yang Jiezhou asked sternly, "Why did you say no this morning?"

Chen Banmu knelt on the ground, "Please, Your Excellency, investigate this matter thoroughly! Qi Chu threatened me, saying that if I exposed this, he would kill me to silence me. I dare not disobey, Your Excellency!"

Qi Chu, losing his senses, lunged at Zhihe, shouting, "You were the one who made me kill her! You said she threatened you, trying to pin the murder of He Li on you—"

Zhihe looked at him with unbearable pain, "Qi Chu, I did tell you about Xu's crimes, and I did tell you that she forced me, but I really didn't ask you to kill anyone... How could you go to such lengths for me..."

"You're talking nonsense! It was clearly you who ordered it..."

Li Changling whispered in Wang Yan's ear, "Zhihe's wife was quite frightened. I just went to the lacquerware shop and saw him being all lovey-dovey with a young lady. He's really two-faced."

The scene briefly spiraled out of control; it seemed as if ten mouths were speaking simultaneously in the courtroom. Just then, Shangguan Yu surprisingly approached her and asked, "Want to take a walk together?"

Wang Yan and Shangguan Yu walked into another bustling market, bathed in the afterglow of the setting sun, leaving the sunset behind. Shangguan Yu recounted in detail how she first met He Li, how He Li invited her to the Xianggu Pavilion to listen to music, and how she later visited He Li in his mansion while he was imprisoned.

Shangguan Yu seemed to have never talked about this "Sister Li" with anyone else, but once she did, she had a lot to say. This affection had been buried in her heart for a long time, and now she needed an outlet, but Wang Yan happened to be standing next to her.

"If you were Zhihe, what would you do?"

Wang Yan laughed and said, "I can't be her."

Shangguan Yu smiled wryly, "That's true. If I were her, I would make the same choice."

Wang Yan was surprised by her sudden candor, "It's only natural that people would choose to protect themselves."

Shangguan Yu nodded in agreement, "The day for eating locust flowers is coming soon, who would be willing to die?"

Wang Yan glanced at the busy beverage stalls by the roadside and thought, "Some people might not be able to get any."

Shangguan Yu stopped and looked at her. "Zhihe will die?"

Wang Yan gazed at the two figures growing clearer in the distance and murmured, "Perhaps."

Why—

"Aying!"

Upon seeing that it was Shen Minghuai and Li Changling, Shangguan Yu hurriedly asked, "Is this case closed?"

Seeing that Shangguan Yu was so concerned about the case, Shen Minghuai was not surprised. "No, the magistrate will only temporarily detain the person in prison and will retry the case on another day."

Shangguan Yu asked, puzzled, "Do we still need to interrogate them?"

Shen Minghuai only uttered four words: "Words are no proof."

Li Changling put his arm around Wang Yan, "It'll be closed in the next couple of days anyway. You've had a long day, let's go eat!"

Shangguan Yu declined Wang Yan's offer, while Shen Minghuai accompanied Wang Yan and Shen Minghuai back to Linjiangxian for a meal. Just as they were about to board a carriage to return home, Li Changling suddenly got off midway due to some business, and the carriage fell silent again. A faint fragrance lingered around Wang Yan, disturbing her peace of mind.

"You wish to learn about tea ceremony, would you mind—"

Wang Yan, who had been sitting quietly to the side, suddenly lunged forward, and an arrow whistled through the air, embedding itself perfectly in the carriage wall, missing by a hair's breadth. Shen Minghuai's pupils constricted, but the arrowhead seemed to grow larger in his eyes.

"Young master, there is an assassin!"

Before the word had even finished, several more arrows shot into the carriage. Wang Yan pulled the distracted Shen Minghuai up with one hand and drew his soft sword from his waist with the other. "What are you looking at! Let's go!"

"Madam Wang, take the young master away first, I'll cover the rear!" Ying Ming stopped the three men in black who were flying down, no longer having time to pay attention to the situation around the carriage.

How good is your lightness skill?

Just as Shen Minghuai hesitated, Wang Yan grabbed him and ran quickly into another alley. The crossbowmen who had just fired their arrows gave chase, but fortunately, Wang Yan was familiar with the area within a ten-mile radius of Wanchun Garden, and soon they shook off the three pursuers.

“Your master… is Fu Jizheng? How come… he only learned this mediocre skill?” Wang Yan gasped for breath, his soft sword resting on the ground.

Shen Minghuai quickly calmed his breathing, "My aptitude is insufficient, but I can protect myself."

"Is this how you protect yourself?" Just as Wang Yan straightened up, a sword light suddenly pierced through the air. Shen Minghuai protected Wang Yan and dodged to the side, drawing a bright red gash on his arm.

"Shen Minghuai!" Wang Yan called out anxiously, his brow furrowed.

The men in black stood in unison blocking the alley entrance, while Hua Xin led a detachment of soldiers to the other side. The four assassins immediately fled. As Ying Ming and Hua Xin helped up Shen Minghuai, whose robes were soaked in blood, Wang Yan could only be taken away by Li Changling, who had rushed over upon hearing the commotion.

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Wang Yan appeared at the inn's entrance. Hua Xin had sought a doctor overnight, and his injuries were no longer serious, but he needed to rest for a while. He had only fallen asleep at the hour of Yin yesterday, and had lit incense for sleeping; it would probably be quite some time before he woke up. Ying Ming returned after breakfast to relieve Hua Xin, bowed to Wang Yan, and said nothing more.

He said he wasn't used to the place when he last came, and now he's injured, how can he rest properly... Wang Yan had no choice but to ask Ying Ming to convey these words.

In the afternoon, Li Changling flew to him like a whirlwind, announcing that the Xu family's case was closed. An old man selling steamed buns, who would push his cart past Meng Shu's house every day at 9 PM, said he saw a woman sneaking into Meng Shu's house that night, and immediately identified her as Zhihe. They also found Xu's jade pendant at Jushui Pavilion, confirming it belonged to Qi Chu. Therefore, both men were imprisoned.

"I'm afraid he can't escape the death penalty." Li Changling sighed. After speaking for a while, he realized that Wang Yan was absent-minded, and the word "worry" was practically written on his face.

"How badly is Shen Minghuai injured?"

Wang Yan replied listlessly, "Hua Xin said he's fine now. I haven't seen him."

Li Changling knew that these children of high-ranking families were used to a life of luxury, and that Shen Minghuai must have never suffered such a serious injury before. Helpless, he could only comfort him, saying, "Since he did this intentionally, we can't blame you. If you're really worried, take some medicine and go see him again."

When Wang Yan brought a lot of precious medicinal herbs to the door, he was told that Shen Minghuai had already moved into the Yang residence.